Next career opportunity in BPM industry

For a long-term growth, talent can aspire for roles in general management to consulting to ultra specialisations

Neha Singh Verma, TimesJobs.com

India's Business Process Management (BPO) industry has, over the years, evolved to include industry-specific services and solutions. From its beginnings in horizontal areas such as contact centre/support centre or finance and accounting, its services now go far and wide with an in-depth understanding of clients' business ecosystems.

"The new BPM sector is about domain, analytics and high-end platform solutions. These are finding their way into every solution being delivered to businesses and end-customers," R. Swaminathan, chief people officer, WNS Group, said while answering queries at a High-Tea session, a TimesJobs.com career chat platform.

For a long-term career growth in the industry, talent can aspire for roles ranging from general management to consulting to ultra specialisations, he said. People can also explore roles that allow them to experience customers in close quarters, for instance in sales or client services, he said.

In-demand roles

Swaminathan said the sought-after roles come in ultra specialisation and a blend of deep processes and domain expertise and consulting. Roles involving a play of technology to solve challenges that client organisations might be facing are also in demand.

Career opportunity for Gen Next

Swaminathan said the BPM industry is being built by millennials.

"As an industry, we believe the millennial generation is going to transform our industry. So there is no dearth of either roles or opportunities. As long as you have the attitude and willingness to learn and perform, this industry has the world to offer."

The BPM industry today offers avenues for everyone to learn and grow, irrespective of the field of education or the professional qualification one holds, he said.

Doctors, lawyers, engineers, chartered accountants, MBAs, actuaries, banking professionals, IT graduates or graduates from any stream - virtually anyone from any one can make a mark in the BPM industry, he said.

He said the reason why this industry is able to offer such a range of opportunities lies in its fundamental business structure.

The industry today offers services to global businesses across multiple industries such as banking and financial services, healthcare, insurance, retail and CPG, shipping and logistics and travel and hospitality, Swaminathan said.

The future of the BPM industry in India is great, he said. There will be new companies to provide process solutions to new challenges in the global economy. Like the Philippines will be leveraged for its customer service skill-sets and ecosystem, India will be relevant in the knowledge services and process reengineering space, he said.